Bill in the House Today.... Mandatory Life Jackets for Boats under 22 ft

[amarshall]

This passes it's a matter of time before all boats.

http://boatinglocal.com/news/mass-bi...acket-use.html

[Oro]

Vinny deMacedo is a Republican from Plymouth - WTF is he thinking ? He's supposed to protect us from this all this nanny state ********. The other bill sponsor is a woman, also a Republican from Groton, wherever the hell that is. She's probably never seen the ocean.

[blacktide]

We already have that down here in New York. It covers the winter months for vessels under 21'.

I hope it doesn't go further than that. But for the winter it's not a bad idea.

[chumtini]

Over two-thirds of all fatal boating accident victims drowned, and of those, ninety (90) percent were not wearing a life jacket.

Seven out of every ten boaters who drowned were using boats less than 21 feet in length.

[Red Headed Stranger]

and those stats should tell people the right course of action, which is to where a pfd, but it's horse manure that the government require us to do it, honestly what's next? Will we need to be tethered to the vessel or purchase government inspected life rafts? Enough....

[High Hooks]

Over two-thirds of all fatal boating accident victims drowned, and of those, ninety (90) percent were not wearing a life jacket.

Seven out of every ten boaters who drowned were using boats less than 21 feet in length.

I dont like it, but i dont want to be a statistic, im a risk taker and i fly a 21 footer. PFD for me please!! (winter, early spring)

[starrfish]

insurance co = big money.. if it does not pass this time it will the next.. motorcycle helmets, bicycle, skateboard, snow skiing...never wore crap when i was a kid, now if you send your kids outside without matching mittens, some ones gonna call the kid cops... its not your life anymore, everyone seems to have a say in what you do, because now when we screw up, we all try to blame someone else...
whatever happened to " if your gonna be dumb, you better be tough".

[Oro]

BOSTON —
A bill requiring boaters to wear life jackets seems to have gone overboard.

The legislation filed by Rep. Vinny deMacedo, R-Plymouth, would require everyone, including adults, on board a boat under 20 feet to wear a life jacket while the boat is in operation.

At a State House hearing Tuesday, the Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security heard from legislators against deMacedo’s proposal.

Some were brief.

“Enough is enough. Adults can make decisions for themselves,” state Rep. Anne Gobi, D-Spencer, said in her short testimony. “I think it’s a ridiculous bill. Thank you.”

State law only requires that enough life jackets for everyone be on board. Only children younger than 12 are required to wear them.

State Rep. Steven Levy, R-Marlboro, echoed Gobi’s opinion. “This is an overreaching bill,” he said.

Committee Chairman Walter Timilty, D-Milton, called for anyone in favor of the bill to weigh in, but no one did.

[cape_rover]

[Seven out of every ten boaters who drowned were using boats less than 21 feet in length.]

And 90% of the boats in the US are under 21'...

[ElMar2530]

Apparently only 10% of the population can think for themselves.

What a useless bill.